Cork, Ireland, is a fascinating, historic, and incredibly friendly city. From early Celtic roots, verified by Og(h)am inscriptions on stones found throughout the region and now displayed in the Stone Corridor in Aula Maxima at the beautiful University College Cork, the narrow lanes of the 9th century Viking settlement that emerged on the island in the River Lee, the Victorian historic structures, to the modern shops that are nestled in between all of the rest, it is an eclectic and intriguing place! No wonder it is on Lonely Planet's short list (10 best places to visit).

The people of Cork are very friendly. Numerous times we've been offered assistance when our confusion over location and direction became apparent (new place, meandering streets, cloudy skies, no compass!). And many thanks to Brendan O'Sullivan who directs the Planning and Sustainable Development Program at University College Cork for the informal walking tour and engaging discussion over planning issues, approaches, and problems!

The planning context for Cork is influenced by a national framework (the National Spatial Strategy) that gives responsibility for spatial planning to regions, and then to the counties and five major cities, then to smaller cities (all local government plans must conform to the statutory regional planning guidelines). Planning for future growth and dealing with the inevitability of sprawl (when the ability of urban places to continue to grow when constrained by existing densities, the historic preservation imperative, and greenbelts) are major challenges here as they are in so many other places.

If and when you come here, do plan to spend a week or more as there is so much to take in. The Vision Centre, UCC, St. Finnbarre's Cathedral, the City Centre, the English Market with delicious fresh local food for your kitchen - these are just some of the major attractions!